Sarah H. Jones Administrative Dean Colgate University 13 Oak Drive Hamilton, NY t. 315.228.6720 e. shjones@colgate.edu

February 23, 2016

Letter of Professional Promise for Ms. Irene Ziemba:

Irene Ziemba served in the role of Graduate Student Intern for the office of Residential and New

Student Programs (RNSP) at Cornell University from June 22, 2016 through August 28, 2016.

While I have moved from my position at Cornell University to Colgate University, I can still

speak to Irenes promise in the profession.

As her supervisor at Cornell, I wish to speak directly to Irenes professional promise in the field of higher education. In short, I feel quite positive about Irenes future success in the field. In comparison to other graduate students in similar stages of their career, Irene brings a level of

maturity to the position rarely seen. This is in part because of Irenes work experiences prior to entering a graduate program in higher education. While many higher education professionals

tend to stumble into this career or have someone tell them theyd be good at it, Irene has taken the time to understand why this career has meaning for her. With burnout in our field more

common than I think we would all like, I have no doubt that Irene is a grad that has a genuine

understanding of what success in this profession looks like and what she personally needs to do

to accomplish it given that she has been successful in the working world before.

In Irenes role on Cornells campus, she contributed greatly to the mission and short-term and long-term goals of the office. Irene was responsible for our Transfer Student Orientation

Program in August of 2016. This five day program welcomed closed to 600 new undergraduate

transfer students to campus. In addition to coordinating a schedule for August Transfer Student

Orientation, Irene was responsible for training over 30 Orientation Leaders who served transfer

as Orientation Leaders and Orientation Supervisors throughout Orientation. The training was

robust and resulted in leaders with enhanced leadership capabilities, knowledge of campus

resources, and the ability to serve as strong mentors to small groups of new students. In addition,

Irene reviewed longitudinal transfer student data and created a small number of programs to meet

the needs of transfer students during Orientation. These programs provided transfer students with

resources and information that had been previous lacking from their Cornell experience. She also

oversaw the execution of close to 40+ programs on campus during Orientation.

It is often difficult to assess the actual success that a summer intern might have on campus after a

few phone interviews. However, Irene exceeded our expectations which were already quite high

because of how well she interviewed. She accomplished much more than I envisioned over the

summer, in part this is because Irene almost always had spot-on instincts for deciding how to

handle a situation. The knowledge that a member of you staff can delicately handle difficult

situations without getting flustered allows you to expect more from them over the course of the

summer. I was able to give Irene several complex tasks that she completed during the course of

the summer. While some of those tasks were quite impressive (i.e. executing New Student

Convocation for 8000+ attendees) and others were less than glamorous (i.e. securing the correct

food permits for 100+ Orientation events), they involved critical thinking, determination, and a

strong confidence in ones ability. While these tasks were difficult and an added part of her job responsibilities, Irenes success in them leaves me with no doubt that she will quickly be able to take on responsibilities and decision making far above that of a typical new professional.

Irene is already skilled in providing support, mentorship, and assistance to undergraduates. She

has a great ability to meet students where they are in their development and to provide support to

match. She learned how to manage and work with students that summer that did not have the

same style as her. Though this task was difficult, the amount letting go she had to do will help

her in her future work.

There is no doubt in my mind that Irene can be successful in this field. I appreciate her calm

demeanor, willingness to grow as a professional, and instincts. She is independent, organized,

and has a maturity and drive that puts her above many individuals graduating from Higher Ed

Masters programs. These intangibles and skills speak greatly to her promise in the field. It was a pleasure working with Irene.

Thank you,

Sarah H. Jones